1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a zirconia sintered body having high strength and high toughness, and to a method for producing the same.
2. Description of Related Art
The zirconia sintered body is a kind of ceramics and used for a structural material such as pulverizing media, cutting tools, ferrules used as parts of optical fiber connection, and the like.
A zirconia powder, which is a raw material of the zirconia sintered body, is obtained by methods; for example, a method comprising steps of precipitating solid substance from an aqueous solution of zirconium compounds and then calcining the solid substance, or a method comprising steps of drying an aqueous solution of zirconium compounds by means of spray drying and then calcining the dried substance (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2000-327416). By molding the zirconia powder, and then by sintering the molded green body, a zirconia sintered body is obtained.
However, conventional zirconia sintered bodies are not enough in viewpoint of strength and toughness. Therefore, more advanced zirconia sintered body is desired.